Lendeborg’s buzzer-beating slam gives Matadors win over Gauchos

Arizona Western Men’s Basketball (24-6, 17-5) finished the regular season with a 101-99 overtime win over Glendale (12-17, 7-15) thanks to a Yaxel Lendeborg last second basket on Tuesday evening in Glendale, Ariz.

Marquis Hargrove scored 24 points to lead the Matadors in scoring and helped

Arizona Western win its ninth consecutive game.

Glendale got off to a fast start, opening up a 13-9 lead six minutes into the game, and used a 6-2 run to take their largest lead of the half at 19-11 at the 12-minute mark. The Matadors went on a 13-3 run, which included back-to-back threes from Marquis Hargrove and Evan Butts before a Yaxel Lendeborg three-point play that gave the Matadors a 2422 lead. Hargrove hit another three late in the first half and Lendeborg cleaned up a miss stretching the lead out to 37-29. Glendale used a mini-run to close to within five points at 40-35 at the break.

Lendeborg finished the game as the Matadors’ second-leading scorer with 22 points while AJ Marmolejos scored 18 points with 16 coming in the second half.

The Gauchos came out of the locker room and went on a 16-3 run to start the second half. The Matadors battled back to tie the game at 84-84 on a Marmolejos’ three-pointer. The Matadors opened a 91-86 lead but Glendale closed regulation with a 6-1 run to send the game to overtime on a three-pointer before the buzzer. The Matadors and Gauchos went back and forth in overtime before Hargrove tied the game at 99-99. Arizona Western grabbed the lead in the dying seconds when Hargrove took the rebound and fired the ball downcourt to Lendeborg who beat the buzzer with a dunk by 0.6 seconds to win the game.

Isaiah Amato was the fourth Matador to finish in double-figures with 12 points off the bench.